Sitting on Thinking Rock

Saturday, March 21, 2025 – Sitting On Thinking Rock.

My view from Thinking Rock. The ice is gone. The rink is still there in structure. I did suck water through a hose to get additional drainage done. Water is running up and over the boards, through the hose, and down the hill toward the river. Smoke was climbing from the fire pit as I waited for the heat to amass and burst the pile into flame. It did. The spot is just a spot on an uncomfortable rock alongside a place we just call ‘The Rectangle’ from ice out until ice in. Then it’s ‘The Rink’. The hours spent out here in all seasons are truly among my true joys in life. Whether it’s sitting by the fire, working on the rink at 1am, or sitting and listening to the wind make beech leaves sound like a thousand different things. I love it out here. (Photo by 1inawesomewonder.com. 2025).

Even with all the options available to me, I found myself sitting on thinking rock.

I am a sports fan. I write about sports. I record stats and add seasons to timelines about sports. I watch sports. I used to play sports.

But today, with baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, and hockey all on one channel or another, I didn’t watch any.

My mind is tired. It needs a big refresh.

I thought a nap might be a good option. I tried that, but all I could think about was outdoors. Just sitting outdoors.

So, I went to thinking rock. Then, to the edge of our fire pit. Still, just sitting on a rock. Fire crackling. Thinking. Listening.

Between my time on Thinking Rock, and on the rocks against the fire pit, I was out in the backyard for more than five hours. I finally came inside after dark, only because it started to rain. I need a month or two of days like this, just for starters. Imagine all the things I could think of in that amount of time. All the people, all the memories, all the plans, all the prayer requests, all the dreams. The real bonus would be all the seconds that I could be completely present for. Like, the bird that landed next to me because I was so quiet and still. Or the aerial acrobatics of half a dozen birds buzzing and harassing a Broad-Winged Hawk time and time again in the skies above my own perch. Or leaf that fell from an oak tree in the front yard but never touched the ground, as it blew from front to back and landed in the flames. What are the odds? Feeling the heat of the fire. Hearing the crackle and hum of fire devouring material. Smelling the wood smoke, adds a level of comfort. Watching wood slowly disappear from the pile. Running my fingers along the jagged cracks in the rocks caused by extreme temperatures and sudden change in those temps. It goes on and on. (Photo by 1inawesomewonder.com. 2025).

: All I can say is that this method works pretty well. Overnight temps have been cold enough to freeze the little water left in the rink, at least for a few hours. So, I go outside sometime the next day, and suck on the hose to pull the water from the rink. It’s not difficult but it’s a mini adventure each time. (Photo by 1inawesomewonder.com. 2025).

: Why do I do this? The author, mesmerized while using the technology that does the mesmerizing. Ugh. (Photo by 1inawesomewonder.com. 2025).

: I watched the moon rising. I was seated on some low rocks that border the boulders that make up two sides of our fire pit. Leaning against the boulder while sitting low, with my legs and feet up on a bigger rock and a big gnarly stump extracted from the ground last year, my own version of an outdoor recliner. Plenty warm. Completely content. Then it started raining…and my wife and daughter came home with a late take out supper. (Photo by 1inawesomewonder.com. 2025).